Please need your input here:

[Luke Skywalker]

I am amazed with the planeset that AH has. I just recently moved from boxed sims and it is great to see so many planes.

The problem is that I dont know how to use each one  .I have tested some of them offline and in H2H but I simply dont know how some of them perform.

 So I will put here some categories here, and I want your opinion of wich is the best plane for each task.

Turning: ?
BnZ: (dive, fire, climb, and run): ?
E-fighting (Drain energy from the enemy then kill him): ?
Low level all around fighter: ?
High level all around fighter: ?
Escort fighter: ?
Bomber: ?

and now I will put here some planes that I simply dont know how to use. I'd like to know the strenghts and weaknesses of:

La5
Yak9 (yes, soviet planes are next to unknown for me  )
Typhoon
Me109F4 G2 G6 G10 (I know that the G10 is fast and accelerates very well, but dont know how do the others compare with each other)
P47D25-D30 (other than the painting, I see no differences between them!)

Thanks  

[Rickenbacker]

 

Originally posted by Luke Skywalker:
Turning: Ummm, let me look that up.  
BnZ: P-51D
E-fighting: P-51D
Low level all around fighter: P-51D/Bf109G6
High level all around fighter: P-51D
Escort fighter: P-51D
Bomber: P-38 (OK, so it's a fighter bomber  )

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        Rickenbacker (Ricken)

                -ISAF-
the Independent Swedish Air Force

[straffo]

 

Originally posted by Luke Skywalker:

Turning: ?
BnZ: Yak9
E-fighting Yak9
Low level all around fighter: Yak9
High level all around fighter: sorry above 10k it's star trek for me  
Escort fighter: Yak9
Bomber: Typhoon


Yak9 :
pro: great acceleration ,little turn ration to the right very little target (comprared to a 51)
con: performance don't macth the book (they are little lower) cannot outclimb those pesky 109

Typhoon :
Pro : solid as a Bus
con : a bus ... (but speed at low level is great)

[Purzel]

Hi!

Seemingly Rickenbaker loves the p51.
And strafo likes the Yak.
Well, It's not all that easy. (Almost) Every plane can be a BnZ as well as a TnB fighter.
It's about which plane you are up against and sometimes at what alt.

Mainly I'd suggest u look around and try to pick ne of the planes u like and stick with it for some time. First u learn to fly it well, u learn to push the envelope. And second u learn to shoot with exact these guns. Every gun has different characteristics - so switching planes mean switchin guns most of the time.

Now for the plane-thinige.
The yak:
pro: climbs well, turns well, relatively fast
con: little ammo, little fuel

LA5: dunno much, but is not very good at TnB IMHO but is relatively strong...


Tiffie:
pro: 4 Hispanos - best armament u can get here. Turns well when fast
con: always(!) stay under 10k. above it's BS.

Me 109 versions (IMHO): the later the version, the stronger the eng. but the worse the turning abilities.
pro: good climb rate for all, small airframe
con: little fuel, little ammo

P47:
dunno much about 25, always fly 30.
pro: 8 .50s. If youre not a good shot (like me u can get a whole lot of lead in the air   diving it accelerates fast, takes a punch or two
con: doesnt really turn  , and doesnt climb too well

OK, that are just my opinions, dont take it too serious.
But always keep in mind, that the difference of flying a TnB or a BnZ depends on the enemy u are facing.

When facing a p47 u can use a Me109 as a TnB, but dont try this against a A6m...
And if u have an e advantage - dont waste it because u can turn better than the con. U might the e useful later...

hope this helps




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CU

Purzel

--
"Find the enemy and shoot him down, everything else is nonsense!"
M. von Richthofen

[bloom25]

OK, here you go:

I'll give you my opinion here on a scale of 1 to 10.

La5 -> Low alt fighter (below 10k)
Acceleration: a+
top speed: a-
High speed turn: b
Low speed turn: b-
Gun damage: b
Ease of gun aiming: d
Ammo load: c
climb: a+
visibility: c
toughness: b+
roll rate: b+
fuel range: c-
compression onset: a-
Jabo ability: f

In short the La5 is an ideal furball plane for fights down at the deck.  It's  acceleration, climb, and overall agility make it one of the very best down low.  Unfortunately it is very difficult to hit with its guns in all but a close range tracking shot.  Above 10k it rapidly loses climbing ability and above 20k it is dead meat.

Typhoon:

Low/mid alt fighter bomber

acceleration: c+
high speed turn: c
low speed turn: d-
climb: d
roll rate: c-
fuel range: c+
guns damage: a+
ammo load: b+
ease of gunnery: a-
visibility: c
top speed: a+
durability: a+
jabo ability: a
compressibility: b

The typhoon is one of the very best tank busters/jabo aircraft.  It's guns and top speed are its strong points.  Dogfighting is not recommended without large E advantage.

Yak9: primarily low-mid alt interceptor

acceleration: b+
low speed turn: b
high speed turn: b+
top speed: a
climb: b+
roll rate: b+
durability: b-
fuel range: d
ammo load: f
guns damage: c-
gun aiming ease: c-
jabo ability: f
visibility: b
compressibility: a-

The Yak is a superior pure air to air fighter that accels in low to mid altitude air to air combat.  It has weaknesses in range and ammo load. (120 rds of 20mm and 340 rds of 12.7mm MG.)  

Comparing 109s you will find generally that:

The f4 model can turn very well.  The g10 model is probably the worst turner.  All 109s begin to have problems manuvering above 400 mph.  All of the 109s accelerate and climb much better than any other plane.  The 109g10 is overall the fastest plane in the set.  Its acceration, long wep duration, and high top speed allow it to run from any fight, or chase down low p51s.  (Only the Typhoon is faster at ground level.)  All 109s have small ammo loadouts and generally weak guns compared to the rest of the planeset.  (Exception here is if the g10 loads the 30mm.  This cannon can kill nearly every fighter with a single hit, but has only 60 rds, is very hard to hit with, and low rate of fire.)  109s are all difficult to control compared to other fighters and are quite fragile.  Their main strength is their outstanding climb, acceleration, and wep duration.  Range is also quite good.  In the hands of an expert (or someone with patience), the 109g10 is almost unbeatable.

The difference between the p47-d25 and d30 is the d30 gets a larger boost from wep.  Some think the d25 can turn a bit better.  Both of them pack a punch with 8 50caliber and carry huge amounts of ammo.  They also can carry more ordinance than any other fighter.



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bloom25
THUNDERBIRDS

[Dowding]

I fly the La5 and Tiffie almost exclusively.

As Bloom says, the La5 is great at low alt and it zooms like a rocket below 10k. Its guns (2x20mm cannons) tend to be overlooked. They are few in number and you only get 400 rounds, but I find only a couple of pings at 300 yrds are needed to cripple a plain. Today I fired a about six rounds into a niki, and the thing blew up in front of me. The only trouble is actually hitting a plane. I only shoot when I know I can cause some damage (doesn't mean that I always hit  ) and like I say, a hit is usually pretty terminal.

Another thing - I avoid attacking buffs in it like the plague, if I'm on my own. Good high-sided attacks have recently killed me three times in a row.   But I'm sure some people can make an easy buff kill using the La5. I'm just an amateur compared to some of the guys around here  .

[bloom25]

I have a hard time killing bombers in the la5 as well.  You just have to get WAY to close for comfort to get good hits with those cannon.  The la5 really is only good against other fighters.  It is truely the ultimate furball plane, because it can kill quickly if the target doesn't know you are there.

The la5 is kind of like a 109 that can turn down low.  I would never try to fight above 15k in it though.  You would be better off diving away and fighting them down low where you have advantages on every other plane in the set (except perhaps the n1k).  Down low you can out turn: p51, p47, f4u, 109s, 190, typhoon, yak9.  You can outrun: p47, 190, spits, c202, c205, zero.  You can out climb: p51, p47, f4u, c205, c202, spitfires, 190s, ... all but 109g10 up to 10k or so.  You can outroll: All but f4u and 190.  You can out accerate all but: 109g10, g6, and maybe N1k.)  The only plane that can give a la5 FITS down low is the n1k.  It can outgun and outturn you.  You also don't have significant advantages in any other way against them.  Basically you can out turn anything you can't outrun, out run anything your can't out turn, and out climb all but the 109g10.  Usually I find that F4us are no match for the la5 down low (if you avoid the headon and use it to your advantage).  The n1k is best avoided (good advice for any other fighter besides the n1k).

In the Typhoon versus bombers it would be a different story, just open fire at d800 and watch the bomber blow up after a few hits.



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bloom25
THUNDERBIRDS

[Luke Skywalker]

WOW! thanks for the input, guys!!

My first day online was yesterday. I tried the P47, the P38 and the La5.

Bloom25 your assessment of the La5 is very good, I find it a very maneouverable plane and with good acceleration. But, how to say this, it is the ugliest plane in the set  

The P38 is a beauty. I love it. If someone wants to, I'd like to hear some advices on the use of this plane.

The P47D30...well took it up a couple of times. Kinda amazing to see so many tracers on the sky  . But for fighter vs fighter it isn't good, imo  

Please keep the advices coming   I want to learn.